Wildcats fall 67-61 to Southside in conference action

Trumann fought back from a 13 point deficit in the second quarter to take a two point lead midway through the fourth quarter only to see the Southerners end the game on a 9-2 run to come away with a 67-61 win over the Wildcats Tuesday (Jan. 21) in Trumann.

Southside jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Tony Postell, Jr. canned a three-pointer to make it 3-2 Wildcats. The Southerners hit a three-ball as Postell, Jr. scored in the paint to make 5-5 with 4:30 left. Southside drilled a three-pointer, Luke Bishop hit triple twine for Trumann as the Southerners hit a jumper to make the score 10-8 Southside. Postell, Jr. scored down low, Southside netted a three-pointer as Bishop hit triple twine again to make it 13-13 The Southerners scored the next five points to go up 18-13 before Jalen Elrod stuck back a rebound to make it 18-15 Southside. Kristopher Harris drilled a three-pointer between baskets from Southside to make the score 22-18 Southerners at the end of one.

Johnny Bell drilled a three-pointer to cut the lead to 22-21 only to see Southside hit a jumper and three-pointer to make it 27-21 Southerners. Elrod scored back to back baskets around a Southside three-ball to make it 30-25 before the Southerners canned back to back three-pointers to make the score 36-25 Southside with 3:28 left. Bishop hit a jumper, Southside scored back to back baskets before Bishop scored down low and Elrod threw down a two-handed slam dunk to make it 40-31 Southerners. Southside added a late basket to take a 42-31 lead into halftime.

The Wildcats opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run as Landon Adam and Bishop hit back to back three balls and Elrod scored inside to make it 39-42 Southside with 4:55 left. The Southerners hit one of three free throws after being fouled shooting a three-pointer, Postell, Jr. scored in the paint as Southside scored back to back baskets to make the score 47-41 Southerners. Adams drilled a trey, Southside hit a jumper as Postell, Jr. scored down low to make it 49-46 Southside. The Southerners scored in the paint, Bishop canned a three, Southside got a basket on a goaltending penalty on Trumann be-fore Harlow scored inside to make it 53-51 Southerners after three quarters of play.

Postell, Jr. got a stick back basket to tie the game at 53-53 as Southside scored in the paint to go up 55-53 before Trumann got two free throws and a basket down low from Elrod to give the Wildcats a 57-55 lead with 5:11 left. The Southerners canned a three-pointer, Elrod threw down a dunk off the alley-oop only to see Southside hit a three-pointer and scored off the fast break to take a 63-59 lead. Harlow scored inside to make it 63-61 only to see Southside hit four of six free throws down the stretch to take the 67-61 win.

“I think tonight was the most complete game we’ve played all year. We had a slow start on defense trying to contain #4 (Cameron Foree) for Southside who had 22 in the first half, I think that was the difference in the ball game,” Trumann head coach Aaron Ballew said. “We can learn from a game like this if we’ll get ourselves back up and use this game to learn from. We have to embrace that blue collar mentality of when we get knocked down, we have to get back up and keep going,” Ballew added.

Bishop led three players in double figures with 16 points as Elrod and Postell, Jr. scored 14 and 13 points respectively. Adams and Harlow added six points each as Harris and Bell scored three points each for the Wildcats.